Council awarded funding to tackle rogue landlords
Arun District Council has been given funding to help crack down on unscrupulous landlords and improve the standard of housing in the district.
The council will receive £34,001 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to support new, innovative, or targeted short-term initiatives to address the problem.
A joint bid was prepared and submitted by Adur and Worthing Councils on behalf of Arun District Council, Chichester District Council and Crawley Borough Council in conjunction with the Building Research Establishment.
The proposal is to commission the Building Research Establishment to help identify the private rented sector housing stock including Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs), those HMOs that should be licensed, and provide energy efficiency information for enforcing/tackling Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards legislation.
Councillor Matt Stanley, Arun District Council’s Cabinet Member for Technical Services, said: “We are very pleased to have been awarded this funding as it will enable us to tackle the minority of landlords in the district who break the law by not offering their tenants adequate housing.
“The funding will not only allow us to take effective and targeted action against criminal landlords, but to also support good landlords in fulfilling their responsibilities.”
Other local councils to benefit from funding include Adur and Worthing Councils, Chichester District Council and Crawley Borough Council.